Drug-fuelled homeless man is back behind bars after he breaches order for tenth time

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Jon Cooper

Published:13:33Thursday 04 October 2018

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A drug-fuelled homeless man who breached a Criminal Behaviour Order for the tenth time after he was found causing a disturbance in a town centre has been jailed for eight weeks.

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on October 2 how Paul Aaron Wells, 34, of no fixed abode, was caught shouting and swearing in Chesterfield town centre on Monday afternoon, October 1.

Pictured is Paul Aaron Wells, 34, of no fixed abode, who has been jailed for eight weeks after he breached his Criminal Behaviour Order for the tenth time.

Prosecuting solicitor Neil Hollett said: “Police attended Betfred, on West Bars, Chesterfield, where they found the defendant outside and he is subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order from 2016 for five years and he is prohibited from going into the town centre.

“One of the prohibitions is that he must not cause harassment, alarm or distress but he was in an area he was not supposed to be and he began shouting and swearing and he was arrested and taken to the police station.”

Wells told police he went to Chesterfield town centre to destroy himself and he had wanted to get arrested after he had found the cannabinoid drug Mamba and had smoked it and was “out of his head”.

The defendant pleaded guilty to breaching the order after acting in a manner likely to cause alarm, harassment or distress.

Chesterfield magistrates' court.

Wells, who was originally given a CBO following a conviction for offences of outraging public decency, has accumulated nine previous CBO breaches and has now admitted breaching his CBO for the tenth time.

Defence solicitor Paul McLeod said: “There are numerous breaches of this order since it was imposed and prior to that there were shop thefts.

“He was released from prison for his previous breach and he’s been homeless with no benefits, no money and he has been living on the streets.

“He accepts at the time he was arrested he was in a doorway in the town centre with nowhere to go. He walks the streets, picks up bits and knows it is Mamba.

“It’s really sad because it is like a revolving door. He goes to prison, comes out, gets breached and goes back again.

“He, himself, says he would rather be in prison than out because it is so hard on the outside.

“He’s become acclimatised to life in prison rather than living a normal life. He’s become a recidivist. It’s extremely sad.”